If awakened from REM sleep during a nightmare, the sleeper can usually provide a detailed description of the dream content. The nightmare can cause the sufferer to awaken in a heightened state of distress, resulting in perspiration and an elevated heart rate.
Frequent and severe nightmares were associated with heart problems, high blood pressure, and heart attack after adjusting for age, sex and race.
Nightmares and night terrors can cause you to wake up with a racing heart.
If someone is at risk for a heart attack — because of high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, smoking or other factors — that attack is more likely to occur in the early morning. But “it's rare for an otherwise healthy person to have a nightmare that causes a heart attack,” said Dr. McLaughlin.
Nightmare disorder may cause: Excessive daytime sleepiness, which can lead to difficulties at school or work, or problems with everyday tasks, such as driving and concentrating. Problems with mood, such as depression or anxiety from dreams that continue to bother you.
Insufficient sleep connected to nightmares and nightmare disorder can cause excessive daytime sleepiness, mood changes, and worsened cognitive function, all of which can have a substantial negative impact on a person's daytime activities and quality of life.
Indeed, studies suggest that nightmares are often linked to unmet psychological needs and/or frustration with life experiences. Yet those links aren't always easy to make—except in cases of trauma (discussed below), our nightmares tend to reflect our troubles through metaphor rather than literal representation.
The increase in cardiac symptoms in nightmare sufferers was not attributable to an increase in medication with cardiac drugs. Conclusion: In this group of elderly men and women increased nightmares were associated with an increase in irregular heart beats and spasmodic chest pain.
Signs of a heart attack include:
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. - Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort. - Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness. (If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately.)
Bad dreams cannot only disrupt sleep but can play a direct role in high blood pressure, sleep deprivation, and can even lead to the following more serious health conditions.
Nightmares can lead to nocturnal panic attacks by triggering the physiological symptoms of panic. However, the two are different. A nocturnal panic attack involves a more heightened, extreme panicked state (shortness of breath, doom, elevated heart rate, etc.)
Common Reasons Why You're Waking Up With Your Heart Racing
Sleep deprivation — Those who don't get enough sleep can have a slightly faster heartbeat the next day. Diet — Sugar, caffeine, and alcohol (especially before bed) as well as dehydration can increase the risk of heart palpitations.
Because nightmares may have a significant impact on your quality of life, it's important to consult a medical professional if you experience them regularly. Sleep deprivation, which can be caused by nightmares, can cause a host of medical conditions, including heart disease, depression, and obesity.
Pre-Heart Attack Symptoms – Female
Men may feel pain and numbness in the left arm or the side of the chest. In women, these symptoms may appear on the right side. Women may experience unexplained exhaustion, or feel drained, dizzy or nauseous. Women may feel upper back pain that travels up into their jaw.
In a “mini” heart attack, blood flow to the heart is partially blocked. Symptoms include chest pain and are similar to those of a heart attack, but there is less damage to the heart. The technical term for a “mini” heart attack is a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).
Trauma-related nightmares generally occur during REM sleep, which is when we tend to have vivid dreams. When you wake up from these nightmares, you may experience fear, anxiety, panic, distress, frustration, or sadness. You can also wake up soaked in sweat and with your heart pounding.
As you've probably experienced, sometimes during a nightmare you'll scare yourself awake, gasping for breath, heart pounding. That's because when you encounter something stressful, your body primes you to respond by releasing hormones like norepinephrine.
Waking up with chest pain can be unsettling. The pain might be caused by a minor problem, such as stress or indigestion. The pain might also be caused by a serious problem, such as a heart attack or a pulmonary embolism. Chest pain should always be taken seriously.
1. Being chased. Being chased is one of the most common nightmares. If you dream that you're being chased by something, whether it's an 8-foot-tall rabbit or a shrouded figure, then it's an indicator that you're running away from something or someone in real life.
Although nightmares often inspire feelings of terror more intense than general anxiety, these also count as anxiety dreams, since anxiety during the day can make nightmares more likely. Some general causes of nightmares and anxiety dreams include: fear or stress.
Your brain is in a semi-awake/semi-asleep state: Part of it is still in rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep—the deep stage of sleep where our brain is more active, allowing for intense dreams. As you begin to rouse, the dream-like imagery of REM sleep intrudes into your waking state.
They can make a person experience sweating, an accelerated heart rate, or rapid breathing. If such a dream rouses a person from sleep, the individual may briefly shout or speak as they wake up. Nightmares can also lead to insomnia or other difficulties in the sleep cycle, and in some cases, even daytime distress.